DMA launches new committee to promote responsible marketing

The Responsible Marketing Committee to set out the DMA’s policies on the responsibilities of marketers and define what constitutes responsible behaviour

Today the DMA can reveal its new committee dedicated to creating a sustainable future for the industry by promoting responsible marketing as a driver for business growth. The Responsible Marketing Committee is tasked with identifying both the risks and opportunities, in an ever-changing sector landscape, to provide thought leadership and direction to the marketers.

The committee has was appointed by the DMA’s Board to set out the association’s policies on the responsibilities of marketers and define what constitutes responsible behaviour. It will be chaired by Skip Fidura, Client Services Director at dotmailer and DMA Board Member. Other members of the committee include Managing Director at Bowan Arrow Andy Grant, Chair of the Direct Marketing Commission George Kidd, MD at Governor Technology and Founder & MD at Optanon Gilbert Hill, CEO at emocial Jacques Prothon, Head of Innovation at Future Foundation Josh McBain, Partner at Osborne Clarke Nick Johnson, Deliverability and Compliance Director at RedEye Tim Roe, as well as the DMA’s Head of Preference Services, Compliance and Legal John Mitchison and MD Rachel Aldighieri.

One of the key responsibilities of the new committee is to be the custodians of The DMA Code, which sets out the four key principles of responsible marketing and the value exchange between a business and its customers: respect privacy, be honest and fair, be diligent with data, and take responsibility. It will ensure that the Code remains fit for purpose to protect the long-term health of the marketing industry amidst changing customer views and societal expectations around each of these four core principles.

Skip Fidura said: “In an ever-changing marketing landscape, it is more important than ever that we are able to identify the areas where marketing practice may be at odds with societal norms and expectations. This new committee takes Responsible Marketing as not just a name, but as the core of everything we do. Whether it is identifying potential risks, offering guidance or setting policy, we will work with the DMA group, regulators and the industry as a whole to establish the DMA’s position on the responsibilities of marketers and define what constitutes responsible behaviour.”

Rachel Aldighieri commented: “The different ways that customers can interact with a brand have grown exponentially over the last decade, with a wealth of new technologies creating even more data on each of these points of contact too. The DMA is committed to helping companies put their customers’ at the heart of everything they do, in order that your business can prosperously grow to be enjoyed, prized and ultimately sustained by your market. That’s why we created the Responsible Marketing Committee, to promote this evolution of the one-to-one marketing industry and show businesses what constitutes responsible behaviour.”

As part of the Responsible Marketing Committee’s remit, it will also collaborate with the IDM to ensure responsible marketing is the foundation of all relevant course curricula. It will also be the focus of managing the DMA relationship with the Direct Marketing Commission and working together on the evolution of the Code to ensure it is robust and enforceable. The committee will also take on the responsibilities of the Governance Committee, which was disbanded earlier in the year.